We WERE waiting for some parts to arrive this morning, and of course UPS didn't oblige by delivering early, so it was 11.30 before Waz went back..yes, for the umpteenth time...to see if our parcel had arrived. The office had been trying to call me (my phone) to let us know that the part had arrived earlier, but I was on the phone already doing something else, and they didn't leave a message.
Had the parcel arrived by 10am, we would have been out of here (being Panama City) and on our way to Apalachacola or thereabouts....but it didn't.
We made the executive decision at 11.45am to not leave the dock (we have paid for the month...on a monthly rate, that is) as we would have been going hell for leather to get to the 'gap' to cross the Gulf with no time to spare, and spare is good in this instance.
We need to be in either A, or Carrabelle for at least a few hours before crossing, in order to have a rest. With up to 20 hrs on the job crossing the Gulf, we need to be rested.
The weather windows become less and less as the winter season and Christmas approach. We need 24-48 hrs of if not fine, then settled weather, as we start the crossing late afternoon (around 3pm) and travel through the night, approaching Sth West Florida coast around 10am. Any sooner and we might get ourselves entangled in crab pots, and that is something we want to avoid at all costs. Cost being the operative here.
Today dawned pretty much as it has for the past couple of days...overcast and cool but not cold.
By 9.30am we were seeing bright blue and sunshine. It is 77F in the salon right now with all the doors and windows open. Nice!:)
We went for a long walk around 9am (waiting for the parcel) across Hwy 98, out front, and around the bay that goes behind the Gulf Coast State College (part of the U of Florida, complex). The wind blowing across the bay was cool, necessitating a jacket done up
This is a new Technology Building, which is a nice change in design to most of the rest of the buildings.
This Fountain is the centerpiece of a Veterans Memorial of the Combined Forces, directly across the main highway from the Marina, and next to the College.
This Egret stayed perfectly still for a long time, hoping to get a catch. The fish were in that soupy mix because....
That black thing in the middle of the photo is a fin!
We walked all the way around the large College complex, partly because it was interesting and mostly because it kept us away from the noisy main road.
On the return leg of the walk we came across a 'former' vegetable garden. Anyone's guess as to what it was doing there!
One lonely sunflower
a couple of peas
and this may be a pumpkin...well, it IS winter...
This is an Okra Flower and this is the vegetable, below.
Down the Social Sciences and Mechanical Engineering Road, we looked left down a small stream bed covered over in tall trees and vines, and what did we see???
He too was sitting dead still, waiting!
Back at the marina, we had to wait some more, so Waz picked up a book and I picked up some news gathering on the computer.
I have been having some trouble with my eyes...could be the glasses (over the counter type) as well as the fact that the boat has been rocking a lot in the past two days.Therefore, my eyes are constantly readjusting. They might just be plain tired???:)
Waz has since been down in the bilge to dry it out a bit. We have been trying to find the water source which we have concluded (because there isn't a LOT of water, but enough to be a small concern) comes as condensation off the large water tank under our bed. Doing some rough calculations, this can really be the only explanation.
Of course, I had to have something to do while we waited, so I took some more photos.
Now, just to acquaint you with our surroundings here at the Sun Harbor Marina, I thought I would take some pics of the immediate vicinity.
These oysters would NOT be good to eat, but they sure are large and plentiful. We know what goes in the water here (as in most marinas) so we just look!. These ones are a direct threat to our dinghy, being at the very back of the boat. They can be razor sharp!
Off to our rear starb'd side is this little 'beach', alongside the pontoon boats for hire.
Directly behind us are these Condos.
again, to starb'd, looking towards the marina office, laundry and bathrooms.
To Port, only two other boats down this end of the dock.
Forward to Port...and out through the entrance to the marina. That is the Kiwi boat...the far left one of the sailboats.
back port dock looking towards the Pipe Engineering business next door, which makes horrendous noises, has trains tooting most of the day and screeches of all kinds. The port next door is a Border Security Area.
So, here we are. I have just finished making some more Ginger cookies to put in the pantry, and given some to the marina staff to placate them:) and we enjoying a cuppa.
The weather is changing to rain, so it is time to batten down the hatches upstairs.
A couple of boat captains we talked to last night have made their dash for Apalachacola, today and are expecting to make the crossing of the Gulf tomorrow. Good luck to them.
If we had had the time, we gtoo would be on our way. The worst thing you can have on a boat, is an agenda. You just have to wait for the right time and weather to move.
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